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Ntumfor Nico Halle as messenger and peace crusader

Chaos is not of God. God is order, harmony and concord. English poet, John Milton, tells us that chaos existed before the creation of the world. By implication, creation also involved bringing order to what was formerly in disorder. In the Bible, and throughout human history, one man always emerges to restore sanity in the midst of confusion. Jesus Christ is the best Biblical example; Moses is one. The most notable historical example is Napoleon Bonaparte, who brought harmony after the chaotic French Revolution. The North West is proud to have its own peace messenger. His name is Ntumfor Nico Halle.

It is said that a chick which will grow into a cock is known as soon as it is hatched. Ntumfor's peace-crusading started from childhood because he was fortunate to have a father with the same inclination. On June 6th 1999, the Fons of the North West officially recognised his merits as a peace crusader by conferring on him the title of “Ntumfor.” But since it is a man that makes a title and not the other way round, Nico Halle soon transformed the “Ntumfor” title into an invaluable gem. As soon as this happened, upstart cries became anxious to be beautified with the feathers of “Ntumfor.” He did this, not by talking about the title, but by engaging in dialogue and reconciliation. Before then, the North West was a laughing stock in the whole nation because of tribal wars, most of them instigated and sponsored by the North West elite. How did he achieve this deal? After he was conferred the title, Ntumfor Nico Halle went on a tour that took him to Yaounde, Douala, Limbe, beginning with Bamenda. His message, that peace is the weapon of the strong and violence that of the weak, took his listeners off guard. Those who saw heroism in tribal wars soon became ashamed of themselves. His anchor was the North West Fons' Union NOWEFO, the umbrella for North West Fons. His crusade yielded fruits as soon as it began.

His next move after reconciling Fons was to reconcile elite journalists, politicians, lawyers, and even men of God. The Bible was and remains his principal source of inspiration, Mathew 5:44 in particular, which recommends forgiveness.

Ntumfor Nico Halle strongly believes that a truly rich person is one who shares. For this reason, he has been communing with fellow men from childhood, and in his adult life, shares the proceeds from his profession as an international legal consultant with the have-nots and the underprivileged in society. North West Fons had been reduced to a beggarly situation by the huge responsibilities they had inherited, and by the neglect of their subjects to restore dignity to Fondoms. Ntumfor Nico Halle paid an astronomical economic price; he spent hundreds of millions.

S. Jenyns in his essay, “A free inquiry into the origin and nature of evil,” thinks, like Bernard Shaw, that poverty is a crime, but that the solution is not through charity; rather, it is by creating a permanent structure to help fight poverty. The Chinese call it teaching people to fish rather than giving them fish. That was the idea behind the Fons' secretariat. The structure, based in Nkwen, was envisaged to have a restaurant, a conference room to be hired out and a museum to attract tourists and thus, generate income for the Fons. But today, that structure stands uncompleted like the Biblical tower of Babel after Ntumfor Nico Halle had invested scores of millions in the project through personal contributions and fund-raising exercises. Those who burgled the project through embezzlement and in-fighting are the true enemies of the North West.

As a developer, the most successful-ever President of the Ndong/Awing Development and Cultural Association (NACDA), Ntumfor Nico Halle, believes that there must first be peace. But this peace must not be at the expense of justice. He considers it immoral to preach peace while embezzling public funds as many of his egocentric contemporaries in control of State funds have done. He believes that fighting corruption is an inevitable step in the direction of peace because embezzlement breeds unemployment. This explains why Ntumfor Nico Halle has not only been vocal against pilferers of State revenue; he has also carried the war to the pulpit. His position as the National President of the Christian Men's Fellowship gives him that authority to complement the on-going war on this vice by combating corruption in the Church; and he is succeeding in it, thanks to his eloquence and the fact that he himself is transparency personified.

Ntumfor Nico Halle the election expert

Electoral fraud accounts for over 90% of wars the world over. That is why the moment Ntumfor Nico Halle was appointed North West representative at the National Elections Observatory, he resolved that any electoral exercise he controlled must be transparent, free and fair. He succeeded by holding regular meetings with all stakeholders in the process. All meetings began and ended with prayers. He warned against fraud in all its forms and sanctioned wayward election officials appointed to man the process, including pastors. He did not end there. He went into the field to personally check the electoral registers in the offices of Divisional and Sub Divisional Officers; he dismantled polling stations in private premises and palaces. The success of the election in the North West earned for him the confidence of the government; he was dispatched to monitor by-elections in the West and Littoral Regions. The African Union, AU, equally recognised his prowess and chose him to monitor elections in Zimbabwe, where he met stakeholders like Morgan Tsvangirai with whom he discussed and prayed.

Ntumfor Nco Halle and the press

Unlike many who perceive the press as the Fourth Estate, Ntumfor Nico Halle thinks it is the first. His greatest authority in this domain is Thomas Jefferson. Quoted elsewhere in this edition, the press has undergone a very positive transformation, particularly in the North West, thanks to Ntumfor Nico Halle, patron of both national and North West CAMASEJ. Ntumfor NIco Halle sees the press as an indispensable weapon of development and thinks that anybody fighting or avoiding journalists must have something to hide. He embraced journalists because he has nothing to hide towards those who abuse the pen and the microphone. He castigates charlatans in the press while praying for them, and calls on publishers to pay their staff so as to check journalistic gangsterism. Because of his commitment to ethics, especially in North West journalism, Ntumfor Nico Halle has received his own share of the “national cake” of calumny, character assassination and mudslinging; the bulk of it coming from North West journalists. Despite this, he has never been intimidated, cowed or even “Lapiroed” to call a spade by another name. He maintains that the press should remain true and stopped lawyers who wanted to take legal action on his behalf from doing so. He has chosen to pray for the defaulting journalists.

Ntumfor and Biya's North West visit

About this, the Fons' Ambassador, patriot and peace messiah is categorical: Biya is the President of all Cameroonians. The Cameroon Armed Forces, whose Commander-in-chief President Biya is, has done a marvelous job. Some of its members lost their lives in the Bakassi conflict, which demonstrated their love for fatherland. But they, like their Nigerian opponents, exercised great restraint and that is why this Bakassi crisis did not deteriorate with a bloody conflagration. This explains why President Biya and former Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, deserve a Golden Award on the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Cameroon Armed Forces in Bamenda. No politician or politicians should hijack the occasion for personal aggrandizement. He is highly appreciative of North West Governor for the very fatherly manner in which he handles the problems of the Region and the undebatetable efforts he is making to ensure that President Biya's visit is a resounding success. Finally, he calls on fellow North Westerners to receive President Biya with love, joy and euphoria so that he should return with the feeling that he met his children, his brothers and sister. He is convinced that President Biya will spring surprises. He prays the Almighty God to protect the Head of State so that he can continue to guide the nation along the path of peace, democracy and progress.

to have a restaurant, a conference room to be hired out and a museum to attract tourists and thus, generate income for the Fons. But today, that structure stands uncompleted like the Biblical Tower of Babel after Ntumfor Nico Halle had invested scores of millions in the project through personal contributions and fund-raising exercises. Those who burgled the project through embezzlement and in-fighting are the true enemies of the North West. As a developer, the most successful-ever President of the Ndong/Awing Development and Cultural Association (NACDA), Ntumfor Nico Halle, believes that there must first be peace. But this peace must not be at the expense of justice. He considers it immoral to preach peace while embezzling public funds as many of his egocentric contemporaries in control of State funds have done. He believes that fighting corruption is an inevitable step in the direction of peace because embezzlement breeds unemployment. This explains why Ntumfor Nico Halle has not only been vocal against pilferers of State revenue; he has also carried the war to the pulpit. His position as the National President of the Christian Men's Fellowship gives him that authority to complement the on-going war on this vice by combating corruption in the Church; and he is succeeding in it, thanks to his eloquence and the fact that he himself is transparency personified.

Ntumfor Nico Halle, the elections expert

Electoral fraud accounts for over 90% of wars the world over. That is why the moment Ntumfor Nico Halle was appointed North West representative at the National Elections Observatory, he resolved that any electoral exercise he controlled must be transparent, free and fair. He succeeded by holding regular meetings with all stakeholders in the process. All meetings began and ended with prayers. He warned against fraud in all its forms and sanctioned wayward election officials appointed to man the process, including pastors. He did not end there. He went into the field to personally check the electoral registers in the offices of Divisional and Sub Divisional Officers; he dismantled polling stations in private premises and palaces. The success of the election in the North West earned for him the confidence of the government; he was dispatched to monitor by-elections in the West and Littoral Regions. The African Union, AU, equally recognised his prowess and chose him to monitor elections in Zimbabwe, where he met stakeholders like Morgan Tsvangirai with whom he discussed and prayed.

Ntumfor Nco Halle and the press

Unlike many who perceive the press as the fourth estate, Ntumfor Nico Halle thinks it is the first. His greatest authority in this domain is Thomas Jefferson. Quoted elsewhere in this issue, the press has undergone a very positive transformation, particularly in the North West, thanks to Ntumfor Nico Halle, patron of both national and North West CAMASEJ. Ntumfor NIco Halle sees the press as an indispensable weapon of development and thinks that anybody fighting or avoiding journalists must have something to hide. He embraced journalists because he has nothing to hide towards those who abuse the pen and the microphone. He castigates charlatans in the press while praying for them, and calls on publishers to pay their staff so as to check journalistic gangsterism. Because of his commitment to ethics, especially in North West journalism, Ntumfor Nico Halle has received his own share of the “national cake” of calumny, character assassination and mudslinging, the bulk of it coming from North West journalists. Despite this, he has never been intimidated, cowed or even “Lapiroed” to call a spade by another name. He maintains that the press should remain true and stopped lawyers who wanted to take legal action on his behalf from doing so. He has chosen to pray for the defaulting journalists.

Ntumfor and Biya's North West visit

About this, the Fons' Ambassador, patriot and peace crusader is categorical: Biya is the President of all Cameroonians. The Cameroon Armed Forces, whose Commander-in-chief President Biya is, has done a marvelous job. Some of its members lost their lives in the Bakassi conflict, which demonstrated their love for fatherland. But they, like their Nigerian opponents, exercised great restraint and that is why this Bakassi crisis did not deteriorate into a bloody conflagration. This explains why President Biya and former Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, deserve a Golden Award on the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Cameroon Armed Forces in Bamenda. No politician or politicians should hijack the occasion for personal aggrandisement. He is highly appreciative of the North West Governor for the very fatherly manner in which he handles the problems of the Region and the undebatetable efforts he is making to ensure that President Biya's visit is a resounding success. Finally, he calls on fellow North Westerners to receive President Biya with love, joy and euphoria so that he should return with the feeling that he met his children, his brothers and sister. He is convinced that President Biya will spring surprises. He prays the Almighty God to protect the Head of State so that he can continue to guide the nation along the path of peace, democracy and progress.

to have a restaurant, a conference room to be hired out and a museum to attract tourists and thus, generate income for the Fons. But today, that structure stands uncompleted like the Biblical Tower of Babel after Ntumfor Nico Halle had invested scores of millions in the project through personal contributions and fund-raising exercises. Those who burgled the project through embezzlement and in-fighting are the true enemies of the North West.

As a developer, the most successful-ever President of the Ndong/Awing Development and Cultural Association (NACDA), Ntumfor Nico Halle, believes that there must first be peace. But this peace must not be at the expense of justice. He considers it immoral to preach peace while embezzling public funds as many of his egocentric contemporaries in control of State funds have done. He believes that fighting corruption is an inevitable step in the direction of peace because embezzlement breeds unemployment. This explains why Ntumfor Nico Halle has not only been vocal against pilferers of State revenue; he has also carried the war to the pulpit. His position as the National President of the Christian Men's Fellowship gives him that authority to complement the on-going war on this vice by combating corruption in the Church; and he is succeeding in it, thanks to his eloquence and the fact that he himself is transparency personified.

Ntumfor Nico Halle, the elections expert

Electoral fraud accounts for over 90% of wars the world over. That is why the moment Ntumfor Nico Halle was appointed North West representative at the National Elections Observatory, he resolved that any electoral exercise he controlled must be transparent, free and fair. He succeeded by holding regular meetings with all stakeholders in the process. All meetings began and ended with prayers. He warned against fraud in all its forms and sanctioned wayward election officials appointed to man the process, including pastors. He did not end there. He went into the field to personally check the electoral registers in the offices of Divisional and Sub Divisional Officers; he dismantled polling stations in private premises and palaces. The success of the election in the North West earned for him the confidence of the government; he was dispatched to monitor by-elections in the West and Littoral Regions. The African Union, AU, equally recognised his prowess and chose him to monitor elections in Zimbabwe, where he met stakeholders like Morgan Tsvangirai with whom he discussed and prayed.

Ntumfor Nco Halle and the press

Unlike many who perceive the press as the fourth estate, Ntumfor Nico Halle thinks it is the first. His greatest authority in this domain is Thomas Jefferson. Quoted elsewhere in this issue, the press has undergone a very positive transformation, particularly in the North West, thanks to Ntumfor Nico Halle, patron of both national and North West CAMASEJ. Ntumfor NIco Halle sees the press as an indispensable weapon of development and thinks that anybody fighting or avoiding journalists must have something to hide. He embraced journalists because he has nothing to hide towards those who abuse the pen and the microphone. He castigates charlatans in the press while praying for them, and calls on publishers to pay their staff so as to check journalistic gangsterism. Because of his commitment to ethics, especially in North West journalism, Ntumfor Nico Halle has received his own share of the “national cake” of calumny, character assassination and mudslinging, the bulk of it coming from North West journalists. Despite this, he has never been intimidated, cowed or even “Lapiroed” to call a spade by another name. He maintains that the press should remain true and stopped lawyers who wanted to take legal action on his behalf from doing so. He has chosen to pray for the defaulting journalists.

Ntumfor and Biya's North West visit

About this, the Fons' Ambassador, patriot and peace crusader is categorical: Biya is the President of all Cameroonians. The Cameroon Armed Forces, whose Commander-in-chief President Biya is, has done a marvelous job. Some of its members lost their lives in the Bakassi conflict, which demonstrated their love for fatherland. But they, like their Nigerian opponents, exercised great restraint and that is why this Bakassi crisis did not deteriorate into a bloody conflagration. This explains why President Biya and former Nigerian leader, Olusegun Obasanjo, deserve a Golden Award on the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Cameroon Armed Forces in Bamenda. No politician or politicians should hijack the occasion for personal aggrandisement. He is highly appreciative of the North West Governor for the very fatherly manner in which he handles the problems of the Region and the undebatetable efforts he is making to ensure that President Biya's visit is a resounding success.

Finally, he calls on fellow North Westerners to receive President Biya with love, joy and euphoria so that he should return with the feeling that he met his children, his brothers and sister. He is convinced that President Biya will spring surprises. He prays the Almighty God to protect the Head of State so that he can continue to guide the nation along the path of peace, democracy and progress.Come to think of it, we should also accept that our attitude towards the Head of State and his policies has not helped things in any way. It is on record that when this Ring Road project was in the pipe line, it was one of ours serving as Minister of Public Works: Mr. Maimo. Presidential instructions were given to the effect that this project be carried out portion-by-portion; but the Minister wanted the complete package all at once. Today, where are we? Look at the Bambui-Fundong Road and other portions of the Ring Road. Indeed, the whole stretch would have long been completed if we did not act the way we did. However, I still believe that the Head of State shall come back to this project without necessarily being reminded by us.

The reason I have no doubt is simple. His love and attention for the North West have been steady. For him to create a party, he came to Bamenda; and this is somebody whom we all accepted through the custodians of our customs and traditions and crowned him Fon of Fons. Again, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Armed Forces at a time which coincides with the celebration of 50 years of independence and re-unification, he comes to Bamenda. We should also consider that we have been too anxious in our expectations. That may be why we started the opposition in Cameroon, and right here in Bamenda. Seen positively, however, it is still thanks to this opposition that democracy remains vibrant in Cameroon; and in spite of this opposition, we have had two Prime Ministers under President Paul Biya, and two Speakers of the House of Assembly.

When we look at other Regions, we should, at least, be honest in our claims. If we were not in the President's mind, how would be choose Bamenda for the event of the moment? Let us consider the role of the Cameroon Armed Forces within the institutions of the State: They are the lungs of the State; the heart beat of the nation. The only reason peace is reigning in Cameroon is due to the disciplined Armed Forces we have, and the level-headedness of the astute Supreme Commander of these Armed Forces. So, what considerations do we give to the Head of State's decision to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Armed Forces in the North West?

If he had taken this decision after the recent appointment of one of ours as Permanent Secretary for the National Security Council, we would have thought it was under a particular influence. And again, even with this significant appointment, what do we do? We are the ones to raise the first stones against our own North West brother, much as we are still doing for ELECAM, claiming that our own kith and kin are the “wrong” people to hold such positions. Quite embarrassing even to the Head of State, isn't it? In my opinion, I think this visit offers all of us an opportunity to start looking at the positive side of things, and this includes seeing the good intentions of the Head of State towards us. It also includes lauding the valiant sons and daughters of Cameroon and Africa that our Armed Forces are. To them, we dedicate the peace and unity we enjoy in a sub region surrounded by unbridled turbulence.”